Netanyahu urges Paraguay, Panama and Bolivia leaders to join Isaac Accords

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met jointly with the presidents of Paraguay, Panama and Bolivia after addressing the United Nations, according to a statement released by the Israeli government on 25 September 2026. The statement said the gathering came after Netanyahu had held talks with Argentine President Javier Milei at the UN General Assembly, and that it was framed around the possibility of enlarging the circle of countries taking part in the Isaac Accords.

During the meeting, the government said, Netanyahu asked the three leaders to sign on to the Isaac Accords initiative and to align with what the release called an American initiative to withdraw from the International Court of Justice, which the statement described as "corrupt". He also thanked the presidents for supporting Israel's security and for standing with Israel on the international stage, the Prime Minister's Office account said.

What the Isaac Accords are meant to do

The government release presents the Isaac Accords as a framework aimed at strengthening relations between Israel and countries in Latin America. According to the statement, the goal is to build partnerships in areas including the economy, innovation and security, as well as other forms of cooperation. The release does not say which countries have already joined, when the framework was created, or what formal commitments membership involves.

The name echoes the Abraham Accords, the normalisation agreements Israel reached with several Arab states, though the government statement itself does not draw that comparison or explain the choice of name. Readers should treat the Latin American framework as a distinct initiative, described here only in the terms the Israeli government has used.

The three countries at the table

Paraguay and Bolivia are landlocked countries in South America, while Panama sits on the isthmus linking Central and South America. The statement does not name the three presidents, and it does not describe the individual state of Israel's relations with each country. It says only that Netanyahu welcomed what he described as warm ties between Israel and many Latin American states.

The meeting followed Netanyahu's session with Milei, the Argentine president, which the release mentions as the preceding event on the prime minister's schedule at the General Assembly. The statement does not report what was discussed with Milei.

The International Court of Justice

The International Court of Justice, often shortened to ICJ, is the principal judicial body of the United Nations. It hears disputes between states and issues advisory opinions, and it sits in The Hague in the Netherlands. It is separate from the International Criminal Court, which prosecutes individuals.

The Israeli statement refers to an American initiative to leave the ICJ and says Netanyahu urged the Latin American leaders to join it. The release gives no further detail on that initiative, such as which body in the United States launched it, what withdrawal would mean in legal terms, or whether any country has already acted on it.

Iran and Latin America

According to the government, Netanyahu told the presidents he regards the countries of the continent as important partners against terror groups led by Iran and its proxies. He said such groups have been active in Latin America in the past, remain active there, and continue to pose a threat to every country in the region, the statement said.

The release does not identify specific groups, incidents or countries in connection with that claim, and it offers no evidence beyond the prime minister's own assessment.

The 37th Government and the diplomatic setting

The statement was published under the heading of Israel's 37th Government, the coalition led by Netanyahu. Annual meetings of the UN General Assembly regularly bring together heads of state and government, and side meetings of this kind between leaders are a common feature of the gathering. The release does not describe the content of Netanyahu's speech at the UN, which it mentions only as the event that preceded the meeting.

What the reports do not say

This account rests on a single source: an official release from the Israeli government. No independent news organisation's report of the meeting was available, and the statement conveys only Netanyahu's side of the conversation.

• The release does not record any response from the presidents of Paraguay, Panama or Bolivia, or say whether any of them agreed to join the Isaac Accords or to consider leaving the ICJ.
• It does not name the three presidents.
• It does not say how long the meeting lasted or whether any documents were signed.
• It does not list the current members of the Isaac Accords or explain what joining would require.
• It does not provide detail on the American initiative regarding the ICJ.

Statements from the three governments, if issued, would be needed to establish how the leaders themselves characterised the meeting.